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Subscribe!Tue - Dec 01, 2009 : 12:15 pm
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Alma : 44 - Rather Die Than Lie
The thing which resonates so much with me about this chapter, is how true Moroni is to himself and his God. Truly, the last thing he wanted to do is to kill thousands of his brothers, yet he had to. He knew his lifestyle, freedom, religion, and family were more important than letting themselves be put into bondage, and the Lamanites wouldn't let them retain those rights, even to the point of killing each other. Seems obsurd, doesn't it? To go and let yourselves be killed, almost to the point of extinction because you want to enslave another people? Wow.
As soon as Moroni saw that he had the complete advantage in the war, he stopped, and commanded that his armies do the same. If he was bloodthirsty, there probably wouldn't be any more Lamanites at all after this chapter. He could have killed them all.
One other point which I find so endearing about this time in history is the valor, honesty, and dignity the people seemed to have. Even the Lamanites. They would rather die than lie. Moroni gave Zerahemnah the opportunity to walk away, if he would simply say he wouldn't come and fight again. In today's standards, that isn't even a possibility because deceit is so rampant. The point of today is to get advantage by any means possible, and at the cost of anything. One's dignity and honor means virtually nothing. Given the chance, an average person today will lie to gain another penny, if possible.
But not with Zerahemnah. He chose, instead, to tell Moroni, in the face of death, that they wouldn't make an oath they knew they would break, so they chose to fight and almost become extinct... All of this when they could have easily lied and got away with their lives. How would that be... ...to rather be killed than to tell a lie.
As soon as Moroni saw that he had the complete advantage in the war, he stopped, and commanded that his armies do the same. If he was bloodthirsty, there probably wouldn't be any more Lamanites at all after this chapter. He could have killed them all.
One other point which I find so endearing about this time in history is the valor, honesty, and dignity the people seemed to have. Even the Lamanites. They would rather die than lie. Moroni gave Zerahemnah the opportunity to walk away, if he would simply say he wouldn't come and fight again. In today's standards, that isn't even a possibility because deceit is so rampant. The point of today is to get advantage by any means possible, and at the cost of anything. One's dignity and honor means virtually nothing. Given the chance, an average person today will lie to gain another penny, if possible.
But not with Zerahemnah. He chose, instead, to tell Moroni, in the face of death, that they wouldn't make an oath they knew they would break, so they chose to fight and almost become extinct... All of this when they could have easily lied and got away with their lives. How would that be... ...to rather be killed than to tell a lie.
Comment by Jesse on Dec. 04, 2009 @ 10:12 am
Love this post. It is pretty incredible that there was still so much strength in a man's word even between bitter enimies. Both Book of Mormon Moroni's are heroes of mine.